Carrie Simison to leave Indy as publisher after two decades service

Chairman's Note

For more than two decades Carrie Simison has made the Indy her calling. She has transformed and grounded this paper. And the paper has transformed Carrie from a young grad student to a community leader.

Carrie will remain with the Indy until sometime in 2019, whenever she takes on a new challenge — fortunately, she aims to remain right here in the Pikes Peak region.

The for-profit or nonprofit that snags her will be damn lucky — and damn smart. Carrie not only gets an amazing amount of shit done, but she gets it done with panache, style and a twinkle in her eye. She brings out the best in people. She brought out the best in me.

Ideally, we would replace Carrie with, well, another Carrie.

But that is just not possible. So we have a two-step process to fill her shoes.

First, in addition to her other duties, Amy Gillentine Sweet will remain as the Indy’s publisher and executive editor. Amy is one of the most talented, hardest-working and experienced newswomen we have ever had at the paper. Ink flows through her veins.

Amy will get support from our triple E: Executive Editor Emeritus Ralph Routon. And I will be stepping back into a more hands-on, supporting role for at least 2019.

In addition, Amy will be assisted by a new, still-to-be hired general manager/chief revenue officer to oversee the Colorado Publishing House’s seven newsweeklies, as well as help birth our eighth newspaper. We plan to launch the first edition of the Southeast Express in February, a community paper to serve as a catalyst for empowering the 80,000 residents who currently have no paper devoted solely to their neighborhoods to keep them informed. Information is power. And a lack of timely, accurate information leads to powerlessness.

One of Carrie’s remaining tasks will be to assist us in finding, hiring and training this new GM/CRO. If you know of a great candidate, let Carrie know at carrie@csindy.com.

Carrie — from the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything.

Your friend and huge admirer,
John Weiss, Chairman of the Board/Founder

Filling big shoes

The Colorado Springs Independent is a major force in local news, a voice for the voiceless and a watchdog of the powerful.

For 21 years, Carrie Simison has been more than just the public face of the Indy — she’s been its heart and its soul.

Starting from her early days as a graphic designer, her spirit, determination and vision created today’s Independent, a powerhouse in media, a must-read publication for community and arts leaders, for educators and students, for local advocates and nonprofits, for politicians and business owners.

It’s not easy, leading a diverse team of creative, engaged opinionated people. And Carrie has done it with grace, with style and, always, with humor.

That will end sometime during 2019. Before she goes, she’s working on projects that will grant the paper success for another 25 years. We wish her a lifetime of good beer, fast bikes and great trails.
Carrie leaves big shoes to fill and a legacy that we’ll all carry forward. I am honored to build on her foundation and thrilled to lead one of the best editorial, production, advertising and distribution teams in the area.

Founder John Weiss created the Indy more than 25 years ago as an alternative to the local newspaper. Today, the Indy stands as the paper for those people: the LGBTQ community, still fighting for basic rights; the homeless, even as affordable housing grows scarcer; a voice for people of color, for progressive politicians, for artists and performers.

I’m fortunate to work with a staff of dedicated professionals who come to work daily with the mission to be the smart alternative, who work long hours and who are dedicated to telling the truth.

I love print media. I’ve loved it since my first day in a newsroom in southern Mississippi when I was 17. And I have loved it for the past 32 years through reporting and editing gigs in eight states. I found home when I moved to Colorado Springs in 2004 and settled in at the Colorado Springs Business Journal in 2005. I believe that each paper at Colorado Publishing House provides a much-needed voice to the community: business news, community news, military news, alternative news.

More than ever, local journalism is vital. We need to keep local media strong. While you might, on occasion, disagree with the Indy, the Business Journal or the Pikes Peak Bulletin — imagine the community without those rich voices. Newspapers provide information, and information is power. We create communities and provide a depth of storytelling that’s unavailable through a Tweet, a Facebook post or other outlets.

Join me as we start a new chapter for the Indy. Support local news and as the Colorado Press Association says: #presson.